Green Elephant Sanctuary

I have always been an advocate for animal rights. I have boycotted may stores and facilities due to their infamous reputation for cruel treatment of animals. Volunteering in animal shelters brings me great joy. It is no wonder I knew a lot about how elephants are mistreated in Asia, especially Thailand where they ridden and used in transport and labour. Even though I love them so much and would have loved nothing more than to get close to one, I made the decision I would not pay or participate in any activity that would encourage the mistreatment to continue.  

The day I arrived in Phuket and checked into my hostel I met a couple of people and they told me about Green Elephant Sanctuary. There you can get up close in personal with the elephants in their natural environment where they live a good cruelty-free environment. In case you’re wondering if this is legit or just another tourist scam, let me reassure you that I researched plenty and asked the locals before I decided to go. Beware these kinds of scams are pretty common in Thailand! We booked the tour through our hostel – Slumber Party – and they arranged everything with the sanctuary.  You can also call them to book or book online using the official website https://www.green-elephantsanctuarypark.com. 

Me and my friends decided to go on the morning tour the next day to avoid the afternoon heat. They do offer another tour in the afternoon though if waking up super early at 6 am is not your thing. An airconditioned minivan in great shape picked us up at 7 am sharp from our hostel. The journey to the sanctuary took around 30 minutes. Once I arrived, I was amazed by how big it is. On the side I can see a large seating area, behind that showers and toilets and a large kitchen. To the other side there was a big lake, a mud pit and an area known as elephant showers. All around as far as I can see was open land. According to the driver what we can see is not even a quarter of the sanctuary. It spreads over 40000 metre squared. 

We were ushered to the seating area where we were offered complementary refreshments and asked to wait a while for everyone to arrive. Shortly after our awesome Australian guide came out, she welcomed us warmly and informed us that the elephants are awake and coming down the mountain which may take a while, so we are advised to change into our swimsuits and store our belongings in the available lockers. We were also informed that professional photographers will be following us during the whole tour and the photos will be available for online on dropbox for free – one of the best things about the place.  

15 minutes later I can finally see the first 2 beautiful elephants in sight. Not long after there were 4 of them and a baby! As we walked in their direction, the guide gave simple safety instructions. She told us how we can touch all the elephants except the baby because his mother is still very protective. We were also advised not to touch one of the adult females unless she touches us first. It is generally not a good idea to tickle their bellies or walk behind them to avoid being hit with a very heavy leg.   

The first part of the tour included meeting all the elephants and their caretakers then feeding them. The guide let us know all their names and a little about their background.  

The caretakers are known as mahuts. It is a family profession passed down through generations. the mahut is assigned an elephant in its early life and they remain bonded throughout life. The way she spoke of the bond between the mahut and the elephant and how it can be strong to the point either would lay their lives for the other truly moved me. She told us the story of one mahut who came to the sanctuary himself asking for help and a place for his elephant. He was struggling financially, no longer able to take care of his elephant but he loved her too much to allow her to suffer through tourist riding or labour. The sanctuary offered him a place for the elephant and his family and they have been living there ever since.  

The worst part was hearing about the elephants’ background. I will spare you the details but most of them were horrifically abused and severely traumatized. Luckily, they are all feeling and living a better life now. One of the elephants had it the worst, when she came to the sanctuary she was so fearful of humans she would not allow anyone to touch her, now she tolerates it a little but only if she initiates and they are still working on rehabilitating it.  

The sanctuary is home for 4 adults and 2 babies.

There is Geo Tah who is a 17 year old pregnant female. 

Fantali is a 40 year old female also known as Grandma and is my favourite. She loves having people hug her trunk.  

Nam Fon – the blue baby – is a 6 month old female. You might wonder why he’s blue or why they call him the blue baby. Turns out, he is very active and keeps rolling around on the floor, cuts himself and won’t stay still when they apply the blue antiseptic.  

Malay thong is Nam Fon’s mother and is 15 years old. 

There is another baby called Dodo. Unfortunately, we were unable to see him because he was sick and so he was staying undisturbed with his mother Dina until he feels better.  

The guide took us to the area where the elephants sleep. It was a large area divided by concrete walls into large cubbies. There was no chains or hooks seen in sights and the guide assured us that the elephants must be confined at night both according to the law and for their safety to ensure they don’t wonder looking for food and hurt themselves. Right in front of their sleeping area there were pretty huts built to house the elephants’ caretakers and their families.  

After feeding all the elephants we were encouraged to strip to our swimsuits because it’s time to give the elephants a mud bath. To be honest, the mud feels a bit weird and disgusting at first, but you get used to it and is pretty fun. I gave Grandma a good long scrub. Make sure you’re not standing too close to the feet as the elephant may shift and crush them and don’t be surprised when they drop down and roll.  

What was so great is how they let all the elephants do their own thing, walk at their own pace and roll in the mud and get themselves dirty all they want. What fascinated was how none of the elephants were chained or guided using robes or sticks. The minute the mahuts got out of the mud pit and started walking to the lake or anywhere the elephants followed.  

We were given buckets so we can properly wash the elephants and we followed them to the lake. We all made sure to wash off as much of the mud as we can then we moved to my favourite part – the showers!  

The showers are a large area with many shower heads mounted on top. Once they are turned on cool water starts to fall down which feels heavenly for both human and elephant in the hot weather. We were given large and small brushes so we can properly clean the elephants.  

Sparkling clean elephants marked the end of a great day. We were given time to shower and change – and can I just say the shower/toilet facilities were fabulous and sparkling clean. A really good lunch was then served and refreshments. The food was of great variety and tasted really good. If you are vegan or have from any allergies, please inform them once you arrive or the day before as you book the tour.  

To be completely honest this experience has been beyond my wildest dreams. I had a great time, it is such a beautiful calm happy place. You can see for yourself how good all the elephants are treated. I was happy to know they are all enjoying a better life after the horrors they have experienced. Even though at first I thought paying 2500 baht (80USD) was way too much, I later found out during the tour that the sanctuary pays up to 80 000USD for the elephant owner in order to transfer ownership and be able to take the elephant to the sanctuary, in addition to annual food and medical bills and operation expenses. They are not offered any governmental support and they rely mainly on donations.  

There are many other sanctuaries of the same high standard all over Thailand so if you are an elephant lover you have to visit one. Please stay aware and do not encourage anyone anywhere in any way to mistreat animals. Always opt for the better safer option and happy travelling!